by Tommy Wells
The Scammon Bay girls’ basketball team continued to prove itself as one of the top basketball powerhouses in the state this past weekend as they battled their way to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 ASAA Class 2A State Basketball Tournament. The tournament was held March 14-16 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
Scammon Bay, backed by outstanding performances from Anecia Rivers, Adam Kaganak and Rita Uttereyuk, went 2-1 in the three-day tournament, including a clutch 54-45 victory over Unalaska in the fourth-place matchup.
Scammon Bay, who moved from the 1A classification to 2A this year, took control of their matchup with Unalaska quickly. The Lady Eagles scored a 21-6 run in the first eight minutes of the contest and never looked back.
Kaganak led Scammon Bay’s scoring attack by tossing in 19 points. Rivers played well on both ends of the court, finishing with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Uttereyuk chalked up 10 points in the win.
Scammon Bay, which won back-to-back state titles a few seasons ago, rolled into the fourth-place contest with a 47-36 come-from-behind victory over Cordova on Friday.
After falling behind 17-12 at the half, the Lady Eagles kicked their offense into overdrive in the second half. Scammon Bay outscored Cordova by a 35-19 clip in the final 16 minutes.
Uttereyuk keyed the win with 15 points. Rivers chipped in 13 while grabbing nine boards.
The Lady Eagles’ lone loss of the tournament came in the first round of action on Thursday with a 57-34 setback to eventual Class 2A state champion Point Hope.
Kaganak finished as SBHS’ top scorer in the loss by throwing in 19 points. Rivers led the Lady Eagles’ defense with 10 rebounds.
